


The Night will Pass

by atributetotheclassicmovies



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arthur is not a traditional assassin?, Arthur is the protective boyfriend, Dreams and Nightmares, Ex-Assassin, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Merlin is a sweetie, and they love each other very much, fluffier than it sounds, idk what's a traditional assassin XD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-14 12:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11782995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atributetotheclassicmovies/pseuds/atributetotheclassicmovies
Summary: Arthur, an ex-assassin, trying desperately to escape his past, met Merlin, a country boy, and they were about to change each other’s life.





	1. The Pendragon Family

_“I can’t do it!” The little boy’s voice trembled, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead._

_“Pull the trigger, son.”_

_The commanding voice was deep and calm, yet the boy could sense the darkness underneath. He held up the gun with his sweaty hands, and looked at the man kneeling on the ground, his hands bonded behind his back._

_“Please, father, I can’t.” The boy turned his head away from the doomed man, eyes full of tears._

_“Do it, son.”_

_The boy shook his head and closed his eyes, hoping somehow that would take him out of this horrifying situation. It felt like an eternity, but when he opened his eyes again, the bound man in front of him was already spreading bonelessly in front of him, blood trickled down his forehead._

_“Well done, son.”_

_“I didn’t… no…”_

_The boy staggered down to the floor and started to vomit, when he left his eyes, the dead man’s eyes were on him; they were hollow and cold; they were accusing him..._

_‘murderer… murderer… murderer…’_

 

Arthur woke up screaming. 

He covered his face with his hands as he struggled to sit up on the bed. He could still feel his rapidly beating heart. He looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand. It was only three in the morning. 

He hissed as his feet got in contact with the ice-cold floor, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He sipped the water slowly and watched the empty street dimly lit by the street lamps. Arthur had thought after more than fifteen years; he would get over this nightmare completely, but apparently, he was wrong. It not only refused to get away, but kept coming back in full force, and these past few weeks had been the worst. 

Arthur had killed plenty of men, some he remembered, some he did not. But the face of that man, he would never forget. 

 

Pendragon family was extremely wealthy. They had an impressive mansion in the city of Camelot, known as the ‘The Pendragon Mansion’. Arthur’s father, Uther, and his mother, Igraine, made a giant fortune through their multiple businesses. These included a few illegal deals with the local mobsters. They had thought of leaving their illegitimate businesses behind after Arthur was born. They didn’t want their son to live in a dishonored family. But after Igraine was assassinated by one of the family’s longest enemies a few years after Arthur’s birth, his father had abandoned all thoughts of raising his son up in a normal family. He became bitter and selfish; his judgments were clouded by hatred and revenge. He also became paranoid, and distrusted all the people working under him. That was the reason why he trained his only son to be a skilled assassin: he wanted his son to revenge for his wife’s death, and to get rid of anyone that got in the family’s way. 

 

Young Arthur had all the abilities to become his father’s perfect killing machine. He was very bright; he learned fast, and he certainly had the body to endure the long and hard training. Except, he also had a very creative and rather rebellion mind. 

Despite constantly hearing his father saying that he was meant to be an assassin, and it was a son’s duty to revenge for his mother’s death, Arthur somehow believed that he was not destined to live a life full of violence and hate. Adding to that belief was Gaius, Pendragon family’s old butler, who had served the family for over thirty years. 

Gaius was extremely well-educated, and secretly disapproved of Uther’s treatment towards Arthur. He was fond of the boy and saw him as a fair, open-minded young man, not the one that was being trained to be a killer, living under hatred, violence, and ignorance. He did his best to open up another door for Arthur. He introduced him to all kinds of literature, which he hid in a secret chamber connected to his servant room. Arthur often curled up on the only sofa in the chamber and read through Gaius’ collections after training. Classic literature, fairy tales, philosophy, the books showed Arthur another side of the world. He realized that there were hope, happiness, peace, and love, love that didn’t ask for a return, even though he didn’t see them often in his world. 

 

The other person that gave him a glimpse of the normal world was his half sister, Morgana, who was eight years older than him. Morgana had enjoyed her normal childhood a bit longer than Arthur, so she couldn’t stand Uther’s drastic change. She ran away to live with her friends when she was sixteen, and took Arthur with her. He had enjoyed some brief moments of happiness, doing what the young boys and girls should have done in his age. They watched movies with popcorn, laughed at each other’s bad jokes, and played video games into late night. That was the happiest time in Arthur’s life so far. 

But Uther always found them, and forced Arthur to go home with him, saying that was where he truly belonged. Morgana had argued with him angrily when Uther had his men dragged Arthur back into the limousine. When the argument heated into climax, she had slapped him on the face. Uther hissed but didn’t hit back. 

“Don’t let me see you again.” He said in his significant calm voice. “And don’t you dare take my son away from me again.” 

Arthur had watched in the car through tears as his sister’s face turned paled and she had to steady herself against the wall. When the car drove away, he saw Morgana’s expression mixed fear with guilt as she gradually disappeared down the street. That was the last time he saw her. 

 

Even though he hated everything his father ordered him to do, he still felt duty-bound to stand by his side, killing their enemies, and the people who had betrayed them. 

Arthur had become a professional assassin. He was fast and clean, also skilled at using all kinds of weapons. He now could kill a person without blinking his eyes. However, that didn’t mean he didn't feel guilty anymore. He had tried so hard to make his brain turned blank when he got to bed every night, so he didn’t have to confront those faces and those eyes of the people he had killed today, yesterday, or even a month ago. Sometimes he wondered why he couldn’t leave, just ran away and never came back. How much blood had to stain his hands before he could finally escape? 

So when Uther died from a heart attack when Arthur was twenty years old, he thought he could finally be free. He sold his huge mansion in Camelot, and made sure Gaius had enough money and a decent place to live. He also changed his identity in hope of living a life of a normal person without the burden of his past. 

He was way too naive, he knew.


	2. Nightmare Awakening

Arthur had changed his identities constantly during the first two years after his father’s death, because he simply couldn’t let down his guards; there were still people after him, the family’s old enemies. He had a list of made-up names, and a little backstory for each of them, but sometimes, he couldn’t remember whether he should be John or Jack this week. He had worked as a plumber, a factory worker, a taxi driver, and finally, he settled down as a coffee shop employee using the name of Ben. These past two years had passed in relative peace, and he didn’t have to change his name or his job anymore, at least until now. 

 

Arthur enjoyed his simple life living in a small apartment, serving customers in the morning, and reading all the classics Gaius had given to him during the night. 

It couldn’t be better. 

The only annoying thing was that he needed to deal with his asshole boss, Valiant, from time to time, but that wasn’t really a big deal. It was nothing compared to what he had experienced. He loved his life now, and he intended to stay that way. 

“Hey, you, come clean up this mess.” Arthur’s asshole boss called after him, jerking his finger towards a little puddle of water on the floor. 

Working in ‘Val’s Family Coffee Shop’ for almost two years, Valiant still couldn’t remember Arthur’s name. 

“Yes, boss.” Arthur said with a pleasant smile and walked into the storage room to get a mop. 

“Asshole.” Mordred, a fellow employee murmured after Valiant had left. “I don’t understand how you can smile and be such a professional in front of that asshole, Ben.” 

Arthur just shrugged and smiled. “I’d seen worse.” 

Truth to be told, he thought if all the assholes were like his current boss, perhaps it wasn’t too hard to achieve world peace. 

When his shift was over, he took down his name tag and bought a few pastries (employees got a half prize after five o’clock), and prepared to make a cup of tea and enjoyed the book he hadn’t been able to finish yesterday when he got home. 

Before he could take out his apartment key in the bag, he saw the little slip of paper he had put in between the door and the door frame had fallen down onto the floor. This was a habit Arthur always had, being a killer, naturally, he was paranoid, who needed to constantly be on guard about his surroundings. He thought after two years of quiet life; he would abandon this habit, but he somehow kept it, and it actually saved him. 

He slowly cracked open the door, but didn’t get in right away. He flipped the light on and saw that his room was a mess. The television set was broken; his coffee table was smashed into pieces, but he had lost none of his belongings. 

Arthur immediately went on alert and realized that this was not an ordinary act of burglary, but someone from his past life had found him. 

 

Arthur decided to go to work as usual the next day. He knew whoever wanted to get him would come again, but probably not while he was in the shop. As he had guessed, while he was walking back home, he sensed someone trailing behind him. The man was skillful, since Arthur had a hard time losing him. So finally, Arthur avoided the crowd and turned into a dark alley trying to lure him out. The man in question took the bait and when he turned into the alley, one of Arthur’s arms went around the man’s neck, and the other holding his pocketknife. 

“Who sent you?” Arthur gritted, the knife dangerously close to the man’s throat. 

Rather than answering the question or making any insulting remarks, the man simply elbowed him hard on his guts, sending Arthur down to the ground. Arthur barely managed to process through the next few minutes. He could only rely on his training and reflex. The sound of metal clicking and the knife was on the ground; fists punched into flesh, and the next moment, Arthur had thrust the knife into the man’s stomach, and the man tumbled down beside his feet. 

Arthur panted and felt nauseous, after all, he hadn’t killed a man in two years, and he had thought he would never have to again. He dragged the body away and suddenly felt a sharp pain coming from the side of his body. He felt it and saw his hand was smeared with blood. Arthur winced as he left up his bloody shirt. There was a long and deep slash that kept oozing blood out. He staggered out of the alley using his hand to cover his wound. He couldn’t go back to his apartment now, so there was only one place he could go.

 

Arthur's vision started to blur when he weakly knocked on the door of a simple brick house. An old man wearing a nightgown and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses opened the door. His jaw dropped in shock when he saw Arthur. 

“Gaius, I’m sorry…” Arthur said through gritted teeth. 

“Master, what…” He looked at Arthur’s bloody clothes and immediately ushered him in. 

“I’m sorry, Gaius, nowhere to go…” He mumbled as Gaius held him down on the nearest sofa. 

“Let me see your wound.” 

He didn’t waste any time but started to peel off Arthur’s clothes. Gaius was a doctor before he came to work for the Pendragon family. The next thing Arthur knew was that he was on a bed, and his wound had been sewed up and expertly bandaged. Gaius was sitting beside him. He put down his book when he saw Arthur opened his eyes. 

“Ah, you’re awake.” 

He tried to move, but winced at the pain. Gaius immediately came to assist him. 

“Careful, careful, the wound still need some time to heal.” 

He grunted and settled back down on the bed, then looked up at the plain ceiling and sighed. “I was so naive.” 

He shook his head, not sure whether he was talking to Gaius or himself. “I thought after father passed away, I could finally live, like a normal person.” He covered his face with his hands. “Why can’t they just leave me alone?” 

Arthur knew he sounded like a six-year-old, who shouted and screamed because things didn’t go by his way. He violently turned to Gaius and asked again, in a much lower voice. 

“Why?” 

His sudden movement sent a sharp pain through him and Gaius eased him down. Arthur lolled his head to the other side and closed his eyes. 

“Do you want something to eat?” He simply shook his head. 

After a very long silence, he thought Gaius had already left, but the old man suddenly opened his mouth. 

“What are you going to do?” 

Arthur shook his head again. Maybe he should just put a bullet in his head to end all his miseries, the pessimistic side of him thought. But somehow, he didn’t want to die, yet. There was still a tiny bit of hope lingering inside of him, telling him that he would eventually find peace, and perhaps, even love. 

“Go to Ealdor.” Gaius suggested. 

“Ealdor?” He asked. 

The name sounded very foreign to Arthur. 

“It’s a small town at the outskirt of Camelot, I bet none of them know about this place, not even you.” 

“How do I get there?” 

“There’s a midnight train. It took about a few hours to get there.” 

Arthur blinked and sorted the information out. 

“But you’re not leaving yet, your wound will take at least another two weeks before it was completely healed.” 

Arthur was still thinking, so he didn’t reply. 

Gaius patted his arm lightly. “Get some rest.”


	3. Ealdor

It was almost eleven o’clock in the evening. Arthur looked at the darkened view outside. He knew he had to leave soon. From his previous experiences, whoever was after him wouldn’t be long before they finally caught up with him. If he was going to die, the last thing he wanted was to drag Gaius with him. 

The old man was snoring soundly in the chair beside him, and Arthur draped a blanket over him and quietly picked up his belongings. He left a small note for Gaius thanking him for helping him as he always did and apologized that he needed to leave without saying a proper goodbye. 

He got to the train station in time, and was lucky to catch the last train bounded to Ealdor for the day. There weren’t a lot of passengers, so Arthur chose a corner seat and sat down. The train stopped at some unknown small town and his eyes snapped open with the feeling of someone standing close beside him. An old lady was trying to push her bags onto the top shelf. Arthur wanted to pretend to be asleep, but stood up and helped her in the end. He felt his wound tear up a little, but thought it was nothing. 

“Thank you, young man.” The old lady eyed him up and down appreciatively and thanked him. 

Arthur nodded and retreated back to his corner. 

When he finally arrived at Ealdor, he unconsciously touched his bandaged wound and discovered that it was wet. He needed to find a place to rest as soon as possible or he would probably die in the middle of nowhere. 

 

Arthur eyed the village and scowled. 

Ealdor was a very tiny town with a few small wooden houses and nothing else. He knocked on the first house. An old man opened the door and eyed him over suspiciously. 

“Ugh, I’m wondering…” Arthur wasn’t sure how to continue. “could I stay here for a few nights? I’m willing to pay…” 

He struggled to take his wallet out, but before he could show the man his money, the door slammed closed right on his face. 

“Okay…” Arthur shrugged and wondered how he had ended up in this kind of situation. 

He looked around some more and found a slightly larger house labeled ‘The Inn’. Arthur knocked on it, and a barefooted little girl opened the door. 

“Hello, I want to stay for a few days? I have money…” 

The little girl turned her head back towards the room and Arthur saw a middle-aged woman waved her hand impatiently and shouted at him. 

“We’re all full!” 

The child watched him curiously before closing the door. 

Arthur stood there, feeling his anger rising, and his wound becoming more and more painful. He needed to rest now. 

Somewhere. 

_Anywhere._

He detected a small barn not far away and walked towards it. He pushed the wooden door open. There were no animals, but the smell in it was barely acceptable. Arthur sat down at a corner and arranged the hay to make a bed. He left his shirt and found that the blood had soak through the bandages. Before Arthur could take the new bandage out of his bag, he heard footsteps approaching and the door swung open. He immediately hid behind some of the timbers and looked towards the source of the sound. In the dimly lit barn, he couldn’t make out the person’s face clearly, but he could see that the person was quite tall, slim, and seemed to be a man. 

He thought the man might not get any closer to him, but after finished sorting out the outer part of the barn, he moved closer to where Arthur currently was. Arthur took out the pocket knife and waited. When the man was close enough to him, Arthur grabbed him and threatened him with the knife. The man made a gasping noise and stopped struggling when Arthur held the knife closer to his throat. 

“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you, but if you scream, I’ll have to slit your throat, is that understood?” 

The man nodded, and Arthur let go of him. 

“Now, you’re going to listen to me. Very carefully.” 

He turned towards him obediently, and Arthur found that he was not a man yet, rather a boy, perhaps around sixteen or seventeen years old. He looked at Arthur with eyes full of fear, and his body trembled slightly. 

Arthur cleared his throat. “I need you to get me some water,” He felt his vision started to blur. “and a blanket…” 

The boy looked down at where Arthur’s hand was covering. Blood was slowly seeping out of his fingers. 

“Go now!” 

Arthur’s head was spinning and the place was suddenly too cold for him. The boy eyed him again and quickly exited the door. Arthur knew he had no choice but to trust the boy. He stumbled down at the hay and through blurry eyes, he saw the boy ran back in and kneeled down beside him, then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the story so far!!


	4. The Boy, Merlin

_There was so much blood._

_The little boy looked up and found himself kneeling in a pool of red. He started to scream and scream and scream until his throat became hoarse._

_“Congratulation, son, for your first successful mission.” A strong hand hauled the boy up._

_“No, father, I don’t want to…”_

_He started to sob, and through the reflection of the thick liquid, he could see the dead man opened his empty eyes._

_‘murderer… murderer… murderer…’_

 

Arthur gasped and sat up on the bed abruptly. 

When his mind started to clear a bit, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. He should be on high alert, but somehow, the place soothed him and gave him a weird sense of security. It was already morning and he could hear the bird chirping outside. He looked around and saw an old vase on a small wooden table beside the window with a fresh purple flower in it. Arthur touched his wound unconsciously and discovered that it had been bandaged and none of his belongings were missing. They were all piled up neatly beside his bed. The room was small and plain, and the only pieces of furniture were a single bed, a wardrobe, a chair, and a small table. The door suddenly cracked open and it startled Arthur, who unconsciously reached for his knife, but he loosened his hold seeing it was only the boy. He was holding a bowl of soup and set it down on the table. Arthur couldn’t help but stare at the boy who he wasn’t able to get a closer look previously. He was a good-looking one that was for sure, with deep blue eyes, delicate cheekbones, slightly curled hair, and red pump lips. He was perhaps a little bit too pale and too thin, but Arthur couldn’t help but think he was beautiful. The boy sat down beside him and held the spoon against Arthur’s mouth. He felt his face flushed slightly and took over the spoon. 

“It’s fine, I can eat it myself.” 

He sipped the soup and felt the boy still staring at him. Arthur could only give him an awkward smile. 

“Um, I’m sorry for what I had said yesterday, or was it the day before yesterday?” He paused. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to sound so nasty and threatened you…” 

He wasn’t sure why he was saying this to the boy; he didn’t even know him! Moreover, he couldn’t read the boy’s expression. 

“I’m Arthur, by the way.” 

What week was this? It should probably be Tim or some other cheesy fake names, but somehow, he couldn’t lie in front of this innocent looking boy. Arthur held out his hand to offer a handshake, but the boy didn’t take it. He started to wonder whether they spoke the same language, but the boy seemed to understand him perfectly well before. Arthur frowned and put his hand down, yet somehow, he wasn’t offended. 

The boy stared at him a little bit more and his mouth slowly twisted into a small smile. Arthur found that enduring and he smiled too. He had never met someone so pure… and real. 

Before he could praise how good the soup was, he heard the ringing of a bell and the sound of a bicycle stopping outside of the house. A youthful voice called out. 

“Hey, Merlin, come on! We’re going to be late!” 

He looked up at the boy, now he knew went with the name of Merlin, who scrambled up and ran out of the room. 

 

It was several hours after Arthur woke up again. He felt extremely thirsty, but the glass jar beside him was empty. So he slowly sat up and walked out of the room in search for some water. It was a tiny house with two rooms, an open kitchen near the doorway, and a small bathroom at the other end. 

He filled his jar with water and saw the other room’s door was opened slightly. A middle-aged woman was coughing on the bed and turned her body towards the other side, Arthur believed that must be Merlin’s mother. He wondered where the boy’s father was, perhaps he was at work? Since the villagers often started their works early. Arthur went back to his room and took out the book he had brought with him. He told himself he should be leaving soon, not bothering the family for too long. He was dozing off with the book in his hands when he heard the same youthful voice in the morning. 

“See you tomorrow, Merlin!” 

He heard the front door opened and he got out of the bed. Merlin brought back some bread and cheese and didn’t notice Arthur was standing against the bedroom’s door frame looking at him. So when he looked up and met Arthur's eyes, he was a little surprised. 

“Hi.” Arthur said. 

The boy smiled and walked towards him. Arthur wasn’t sure what he was doing, but before he knew, Merlin had taken his hand in one, and the other pulled out a chair at the dining table, then pushed Arthur down on the chair. Merlin’s attention went back to the kitchen. He was checking for something in the oven. 

“Do you need help?” Arthur asked, turning around. 

The boy shook his head. After a few minutes, Merlin brought out a plate of baked potatoes and a bowl of salad, and some soup from the early morning. They sat down and ate in silence, though Arthur at least caught Merlin looking at him three times when the boy thought he was being discreet. He flashed Arthur a shy smile when he knew that Arthur had discovered him watching. 

He volunteered to clean up after dinner and Merlin didn’t refuse this time. Arthur saw him put some of the vegetables, potatoes, and ham on a plate and headed over to the room where the woman was. 

“Your mother?” Merlin nodded and went inside the room. 

 

When Arthur was going to bed that night, he suddenly noticed that there were only two rooms, meaning that he must have taken up Merlin’s room. As he had guessed, he saw the boy arranging the blanket on an old sofa in the tiny living room. 

“Hey, Merlin, it’s alright, I can sleep there, you should get back to your room.” 

Merlin shook his head and turned his back towards him as to ignore him. Arthur walked over. 

“Come on.” 

But then it was Merlin who pushed him back into the room then onto the bed. 

“Hey!” Arthur laughed, trying to catch Merlin’s arm. 

From the crack of the bedroom door, he saw Merlin jumped back onto the sofa and left the blanket up to cover himself. Arthur smiled when he got back to bed.


	5. Love Beside the Lake

It had already been ten days since Arthur stayed at Merlin’s home. He had no intention to stay this long, but it just… happened. He liked it here, and he liked Merlin, a lot. From what he had observed and heard, he knew a few more things about the boy now. Merlin didn’t seem to have a father, or he might have one some times ago. The young man that Arthur heard calling for Merlin every morning was his mate, Will. He and Merlin worked in the same grocery store owned by an old lady, Mrs. Alice. They were the only two employees. Will was the delivery boy and Merlin was the shop clerk. However, there was something that Arthur still couldn’t figure out: Merlin didn’t speak. Arthur thought he might just be born a mute at first, but something in him told him that there was a reason for his muteness. 

Even though Arthur had only spent a week with Merlin, his fondness for the boy had gradually turned into something… Arthur didn’t know how to describe. 

Was it _love_? 

But it wasn’t the love for a friend, like he had for Gaius, or the love for a brother or a sister, like he had for Morgana, but it was something that was much deeper and… intimate. 

Arthur was scared, but also excited. It was a whole new feeling for him, and he didn’t want to let it go away. 

 

When he walked into the kitchen, he was surprised to see Merlin’s mother cooking in there. She turned to him and smiled. She had been in bed the whole time since Arthur arrived. She looked extremely tired and pale. Arthur could see that she must have been sick for a while. 

“You must be Merlin’s new friend.” She shook Arthur’s hand. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to come out and greeted you sooner.” 

“It’s totally fine.” 

Arthur wasn’t sure she would want to see a man covered with blood. 

“I’m Arthur. Nice to meet you.” 

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Hunith.” She smiled and regarded him. “What a handsome young lad you are.” 

He reddened a little and gave her a shy smile. 

“Thanks.” 

She quickly changed the subject knowing she was making him feeling uncomfortable. 

“Do you want some tea?” 

“Yes, please.” 

She made the tea and put some biscuits on a small plate. Then they sat down and Hunith started to talk about how glad she was to see Merlin made a nice new friend. Arthur became all flushed again when he heard that. 

“I felt so bad for my boy. He needed to quit school early to help the family because I’m too ill to work. He’s such a good boy.” Arthur nodded sympathetically. “Oh, and after that dreadful incident…” She teared up and Arthur didn’t know what to do. “Merlin used to be such a happy child, but after seeing his father got killed in a robbery, he became so redraw. He didn’t speak a word after that.” 

Arthur felt a lump in his throat, so that was the reason why Merlin never spoke a word to him. 

“But I see you make him smile again.” Hunith said. “Thank you for making my boy happy.” 

She leaned in and gave him a hug. It made Arthur felt awkward, since he never experienced this kind of physical love before, yet, it was weirdly comforting. 

“I feel much better today, I’m going to make dinner for you two.” 

Then she started to ask him about himself, and Arthur made up a story as convincing as possible. He felt so bad lying in front of her, but he knew it wouldn’t be a great idea to tell her that he used to be an assassin. 

_A murderer_. 

 

Merlin came home soon after, and Arthur could see he was surprised that his mother was up. They hugged. 

“Have you shown Arthur the lake yet?” Merlin shook his head. “Show him, I can prepare dinner tonight.” 

Hunith then turned to Arthur. “We called it Lake Avalon. It was a very beautiful place, and we used to go there for a picnic all the time.” 

Merlin nodded and signaled Arthur to follow him. It was about twenty minutes walk from his house when they arrived at the lake. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. The lake was surrounded by mountains, forming something like a paradise. They sat down on the grass and just absorbed the feeling of nature around them. It was refreshing and relaxing. Arthur had never felt so alive before, then he did something that even he couldn’t believe himself. He pinched up a random flower, and put it on the side of Merlin’s hair. He blushed and lowered his eyes, avoiding Arthur’s gaze. 

But when their eyes met again, it just happened. 

Arthur gently cupped Merlin’s face and kissed him right on the lips. It was a short, yet a passionate one. Merlin was stiff at first, but soon melted into his kiss. They explored each other’s taste, and both panted when they parted. 

“I’m sorry, I…” Arthur stammered, looking at Merlin’s red, moist lips, and unconsciously licked his own. 

 

Merlin didn’t look at him at all when they got back home, and still didn’t meet his eyes when Arthur said good night to him. Arthur lay in the dark, feeling terrible and all screwed up. Even though he had seen and experienced so many things that were enough to turn people’s hair white, feeling love itself, that was the first time. He wasn’t sure whether he had done something extremely wrong or right, and he was afraid that he might scare Merlin away for good, which was absolutely unbearable. Arthur felt like a love-struck schoolboy; a role that he had never experienced when he was a teenager. He blamed all the romance novels Gaius collected. He felt he was becoming unrealistic. 

Arthur sighed and turned to another side, believing that it was a doom love affair. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Merlin entering the room, and then the bed dipped slightly beside him. Before Arthur could react, he felt Merlin’s body snuggled closer to him, so he held out his arm and pulled the boy into him. He could hear Merlin’s steady heartbeats and the heat radiated from the boy. Arthur never yearned so much for another body being this close to him, but this felt right. 

Being with Merlin felt so right. 

Arthur smiled. He didn’t make the wrong move after all.


	6. Another Sorrow

Arthur woke up feeling an arm draped over his waist. His first reflex was to knock whoever it was off, but before he could, he felt the person next to him shifted slightly. And that short pause made him remembered where he was and who exactly was at his side. He turned back and saw Merlin looking at him, a sweet smile on his face. Arthur immediately returned the smile. 

“Good morning.” 

For a few seconds, they felt slightly awkward waking up with their bodies tangled in each other, so they just lay on the bed unmoving, and neither of them dared to make any eye contacts. Finally, Merlin pulled Arthur in by his shirt and kissed him. Then Arthur knew that none of it was a dream. 

They were truly in love with each other. 

They made breakfast together, and Merlin kissed him goodbye before he went to work. The days passed on and Arthur felt like he was floating in the sky. He never knew that love could be like this. It was such a simple feeling, yet so profound, so fulfilling at the same time. He thought he could conquer the world with Merlin at his side. They kissed whenever they could and they cuddled close against each other every night. Being so in love made Arthur believed that his past didn’t matter anymore, because now he had a new life, a person he loved so deeply, and he could finally, _finally_ , be a normal, happy man. 

 

Arthur found himself outside of Mrs. Alice’s grocery store waiting for his lover to get off work. Merlin was mopping the floor when he found Arthur standing outside of the window. He waved at him and gave him a bright smile. When Arthur was glancing at the shop window, he heard the sound of a bicycle halting behind him. 

“So you’re the guy staying with Merlin?” 

Arthur immediately recognized the voice as Will’s. He was not surprised to see the young man’s eyes were full of mistrust and suspicion. 

“Um, yeah, I’m Arthur.” 

He held out his hand, trying to be friendly, but Will didn’t take it. 

“I know.” 

Arthur shrugged and saw Merlin came out of the door. 

“Merlin, let’s go home.” Will said, patting the seat at the back of his bicycle. 

Merlin looked at Will then to Arthur. 

“Merlin was going to walk back home with me.” Arthur said, clearing his throat. 

“Is that true, Merlin? Did he force you into this?” 

A small smile lit up on Merlin’s face and he shook his head. Will’s face fell, knowing he had lost the battle. 

“I don’t trust him.” Will looked back at Arthur and declared loudly as if he wasn’t there. “I’ll walk behind you, just to make sure he doesn’t try anything.” 

Arthur rolled his eyes and Merlin tried to hide his smile. Seeing there were no other alternatives, Arthur took Merlin’s arms and Will followed closely behind holding on his bicycle. He was annoyed with the third wheel and Will’s intense stare made Arthur felt his back was going to burn into two big holes. But at the same time, he had this childish triumphant feeling, because he was the one who won. 

When they arrived in front of Merlin’s home, Will eyed Arthur up and down again and crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

“Well, you’re not a bad guy, but remember this,” He waved a finger in front of Arthur, close enough to make him feel uncomfortable. “If you hurt Merlin, I’ll tear you up into pieces and feed you to the dogs.” 

Arthur nodded, and gave Will the most polite smile he’d ever worn. 

“Goodbye, Merlin, see you tomorrow.” 

Merlin waved back at Will and chuckled when he saw Arthur rolled his eyes again. 

 

Ten days had passed into a month. Arthur’s wound had healed nicely and his love for Merlin had only strengthened each day. Hunith didn’t comment on it, but Arthur could see the happiness in her tired eyes. Arthur and Merlin had spent a lot of their free time at the lake, snuggling closely on a bright red picnic blanket and feeding each other homemade cookies. They didn’t feel awkward anymore waking up in each other’s arms. 

 

When Arthur woke up with a suspicious noise nearby one night, he thought it was Merlin. But then he listened more carefully, it was actually Merlin’s mother who coughed violently in the next room. He woke Merlin up and the two ran to Hunith. She was half seated on the bed; her body trembled due to the series of coughs. They kneeled down to steady her. Her face was twisted in pain. 

“Find a doctor, Merlin!” 

He nodded and ran out of the door without his shoes. It took him sometimes to find a half asleep doctor since it was way past midnight. The doctor examined Hunith and gave her a shot. He told them to stay at her side and he would be back in the early morning. Arthur put an arm around Merlin as the latter slid down bonelessly beside the bed. Hunith had stop coughing, but she looked extremely ill. Arthur dragged a chair and told Merlin to sit on it, but he just shook his head and continued to stay where he was. Arthur sighed and took a blanket from the other room to drape on the boy’s shoulder. 

 

The night dragged on, and Arthur paced restlessly at the other room. He was worried about Hunith, but he worried about Merlin the most. The boy had already experienced something so traumatic in his life, watching his father died in his arms, and now he needed to face another one. Merlin had become everything to him a few days after he arrived at Ealdor, and he didn’t want him to get hurt again. He just wanted to wrap his arms around Merlin and told him that everything would be alright; no matter what happened, he would always be there by his side. 

The doctor came by the next morning as promised. He checked her pulse and shook his head. Arthur sighed heavily and looked towards Merlin. His face was unreadable, but when Arthur tried to reach for him, he ran out of the house. Arthur’s gaze followed him, but he didn’t go after him right away. He thought Merlin would need some time alone, and after all, he knew where Merlin would be. 

 

He walked to the lake several hours later and saw Merlin sitting on the grass throwing pebbles into the water. 

“Merlin?” Arthur whispered. 

He went to sit down beside him. 

“Hey.” 

He slowly placed his arm around the boy, and was glad that he didn’t flinch away. He looked up at Arthur with eyes full of tears, and he buried his face into Arthur’s chest. Arthur held him tightly and placed a tender kiss on his hair. 

“It’ll be alright, Merlin, it’ll be alright.” 

He crooned and silently swore that he would be there for Merlin, always, _forever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I was not too cruel to poor Merlin? XD But Arthur's there, so everything would be okay!


	7. The Darkness Behind

The following few days were some of the hardest time Arthur had ever experienced. 

Seeing the love of his life being tortured by his grief was way more painful than any physical and psychological hurt imposed upon himself. He often saw Merlin sitting alone in the dimly lit kitchen, a cup of tea that was already cold in his hands, and his eyes looked straightforward hollowly. Arthur gave him as much space as possible, but he did look for any hints that if Merlin needed him at any given time. 

He missed Merlin’s beautiful smile so much. The only thing he was glad of was that at least the boy didn’t shut him away completely. He would allow Arthur to put his arm around him, and he would place his head on his shoulder. Arthur waited, quietly, in fact, he wouldn’t push Merlin; he would just stay at his side, giving him silent support and comfort. 

 

Arthur continued to walk Merlin back home as usual. He would prepare Merlin’s favorite food and perhaps some fresh flowers for him. He would do anything to make his Merlin happy. Therefore, he was extremely glad to see that Merlin’s smiles were back and he spent less and less time sitting alone in the kitchen. 

 

One afternoon after Merlin got off of work, Arthur thought of changing their usual plan and had a drink in Ealdor’s only bar- The Rising Sun Tavern. Born and raised in a big city, Arthur couldn’t believe this was considered the most fashionable place in town, which frequent by younger people and some of those who wanted to catch up with the latest gossips. Merlin was a bit surprised that Arthur brought him there. Even though it was not far away from his home, he seldom visited the place. 

Arthur found a quiet corner to sit and the servant brought the menu. 

“Give me a beer, thank you.” 

Arthur turned to Merlin, who was studying his menu with a frown. 

“Have you decided yet?” 

Merlin turned the menu to him, and pointed, slightly shy. 

“You want that?” 

He nodded. 

“And a vanilla milkshake.” 

The servant nodded and left. Merlin looked slightly red when he turned back to face him. Arthur thought it was the most adorable sight he had ever seen. He guessed Merlin was probably feeling like a little kid, because he ordered a milkshake rather than some kind of alcoholic beverage. 

“I like milkshake.” Arthur said, ruefully, trying to make Merlin felt less embarrassed. “I think you make a better choice than I did.” He said and that earned him a smile. 

He could see Merlin’s shoulder relaxed a bit. 

“Do you like it here?” Arthur indicated the place. 

Merlin nodded, bouncing a little on his seat. The servant brought their drinks. 

“Yours look better than mine.” Arthur playfully tried to take the cherry away on Merlin’s milkshake. “Can we at least share?” 

He shook his head with a smile and pushed Arthur’s hand away. He was so happy that Merlin was smiling more and more recently. It wasn’t exactly the place to showcase his affection for Merlin, but he still settled to brush his fingers through Merlin’s cheek lovingly. He watched him concentrated on finishing his milkshake, while his attention slowly drifted to the conversation between a man and the bartender not far away from them. He couldn’t hear the words very clearly, but the man seemed to mention something about ‘the Pendragon’. Arthur tried to get closer. 

“Merlin, I’ll be right back, alright? Just need to go to the loo.” Merlin nodded. 

Walking over, Arthur found a seat closer to the man. 

“You mean the super wealthy one, that Pendragon family?” He heard the bartender said. “I haven’t heard about it for such a long time. Hey, is it true that the head of the family trained his only son to become an assassin?” 

“It was true from what I’ve heard! The son seemed to be the only one left in the family, and most people have thought that he was dead, but rumor has it that he changed his identity entirely and hid in here!” The man said in a dramatic tone. 

“In Ealdor? That’s impossible!” The bartender exclaimed. 

Arthur didn’t want to listen to it anymore. He walked back to their table and saw Merlin was playing with the paper coaster, and his glass was already empty. 

“Are you ready to go, Merlin?” 

He nodded and followed Arthur out of the bar.

 

That night, Arthur couldn’t sleep. They were lying on the bed, Merlin was asleep with Arthur stroking his hair gently. The feeling of soft, slightly curled hair going through his fingers had soothed his nerves a little, however, the previous information he gained in the bar made him suddenly got on his guard. It awakened him that he hadn't truly escaped his past. In fact, it was catching on on him. He had lived in such an amazing state full of love and peacefulness that he had forgotten everything horrible for some times, but now, it was coming back in full force. This couldn’t be just a rumor, which meant that whoever was after him was close, _very close_. He needed to leave immediately. But… 

he heard the soft breathing beside him and the feeling of a warm body pressing close to him. _Merlin_. 

What about Merlin? 

Merlin was the love of his life, and the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He had sworn that he would never leave Merlin. But under this kind of circumstance, how could he bring Merlin with him? He couldn’t give him anything, but endless nights of sleeping in unknown motels, running and changing identities all the time; he couldn’t let the boy live a life as this, he deserved so much better. Something must had startled Merlin, because when Arthur looked down, Merlin was looking up at him; his eyes full of concern. 

“Hey, I’m so sorry to wake you up.” Merlin gave him a small smile and yawned. “Go back to sleep, I’m okay.” 

 

The next day, Arthur was still in a state of confusion and wondered what he should do would be the best for both of them. He needed to make his decision soon, because he knew he couldn’t stay in Ealdor any longer. 

He waited for Merlin to get off work, and he absent-mindedly took his arm. They walked home and Arthur was too occupied with his own thoughts that he suddenly felt a few tugs on his sleeves, and found that he had walked right past Merlin’s house. He chuckled and led Arthur back. Before they could start to prepare their dinner, Arthur pulled Merlin down on a chair and held both of his arms. 

“Merlin.” Arthur said, swallowing hard. 

It must have felt like a proposal or something of the sort to Merlin, because he started to giggle, and Arthur almost didn’t want to ruin his good mood. But this was important, he cleared his throat. 

“There’s something I want to tell you, about… about who I am, and why I came to Ealdor.” 

Then Arthur told Merlin about his family, about these past few years how he had desperately trying to escape the past, but now it was coming right after him again. 

“They’re going to find me soon, I overheard a conversation yesterday in the bar.” 

Merlin’s expressions were a mixture of so many that made his face unreadable. Arthur wasn’t too surprised, since this was quite a revelation to suddenly know that someone he loved so much had led such a crazy life, perhaps even crazier than the characters in the movies. 

“I’m going to leave soon, Merlin, and... I want you to have this.” 

Arthur took down his necklace. The drape was a silver dragon. It used to belong to Igraine; Arthur’s only connection with his mother. He tried to put it around Merlin’s neck, but he pushed it away, and turned his head, avoiding Arthur. 

“Please, Merlin, I can’t take you with me. All I can give you are homelessness, hunger, and violence. You deserve so much better,” Merlin still didn’t turn his head to him. “Please, Merlin, I beg you.” 

But Merlin just left and went to prepare food, and Arthur simply sat there, his eyes full of sorrow. He didn’t speak the rest of the night, and Merlin continued to avoid his eyes. 

During the early morning, Arthur packed some of his essentials, and left the bag of gold that he kept for emergency as well as the necklace on Merlin’s bed stand. He debated whether he should leave a note, but he knew it was too hard to write anything down before he broke into pieces. He didn’t dare to look at Merlin’s face, knowing he would look like a beautiful angel, and Arthur would not have the strength to leave. 

He stroked the dark hair one last time and kissed it gently. 

“I’m so sorry, Merlin.” 

Arthur felt the tears sliding down his cheeks. He hadn’t cried in years. 

“I love you so much, but this is for both of us’ sake, please believe me…” 

He looked at the sleeping form one last time and walked out of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if you feel the story is getting cheesier and cheesier? XD But I'm such a sucker for all kinds of Merthur love stories :D Leave a comment on what you think, so I can hopfully improve my writing :) Thanks <3


	8. A Different Dream

Arthur slowly walked towards the train station. He didn’t dare to look back. It was the hardest journey in his life. The train leaving Ealdor was already there, and he climbed on it after getting his ticket. He found a corner seat and took out the book in his bag, but couldn’t read a single word. His brain kept showing the image of Merlin’s hurtful eyes after hearing that Arthur couldn’t bring him with him. 

Didn’t he swear to himself that he would always be beside Merlin? But how could he give Merlin a good life if he was constantly on the run? What if they got Merlin, how could he bear seeing them harming the love of his life? 

Arthur convinced himself that he made the right choice. Merlin was better off without him from now on. Will was a good friend, and Arthur knew that he would take care of Merlin. He also had a steady job, so there was no problem with the finance. But deep down in his heart, there was something that just didn’t feel right. When he fell in love with Merlin, he immediately knew that the boy meant everything to him, and he was going to settle down with him, and had a happy life. Then the people from his past caught up, and Arthur just watched them separated them? 

Without even _trying_? 

He knew the risk, but would it be better if he faced them instead of running away? And he had never asked whether Merlin wanted to come with him, he just made up his mind saying that he shouldn’t go. Arthur looked out of the train window and noticed it had started to move. He quickly grabbed his bag and jumped down the train. He was not going to give in to his past. No matter what happened, he would not let anyone or anything get between the two of them. 

 

When Arthur almost arrived at Merlin’s house, he saw a few worried, yet curious looking villagers quickly ran pass him. They seemed to run towards the direction of Merlin’s house. Arthur’s heart sunk. 

“What happened?” 

He tried to ask a villager, but the man barely noticed him. Arthur followed them and there was already a crowd gathering in front of the house. 

“Let me pass, let me pass!” 

Arthur pushed past the chattering crowd and his mouth fell opened when he saw the inside of the house was a complete mess. Broken cups and plates were scattered on the floor, and the table was smashed into pieces. 

“No, Merlin!” 

He ran into the house, and didn’t care that the furniture smashed further into smaller pieces under his feet. He was so afraid to see Merlin perhaps being beaten up, or even killed in the middle of the room. His heart pounded so fast when he searched around. He didn’t know whether he was relieved or not when he didn’t find Merlin anywhere. Then he remembered the little storage room the boy had shown him. The entrance was hidden under a flowery carpet. Arthur slowly left the carpet and opened the wooden door. 

“Merlin?” He called, and climbed down the ladder. “Merlin!” 

He saw Merlin crouching in the furthest corner, but when he heard Arthur’s voice, he ran towards him and buried himself in Arthur’s arms. He sighed in relief, and stroked the boy’s hair. 

“It’s okay, Merlin, I’m here, I’m here.” Arthur said softly and felt the tremble of Merlin’s body subsided. “I’m so sorry to leave you here, I’m so sorry…” 

 

They packed a few essentials into their bags. Arthur thought they shouldn’t use the train, because that would make them an easier target. When they got to a wooden sign marking ‘Welcome to Ealdor’, Merlin suddenly stopped in front of it and looked agitated. 

“Merlin?” Arthur looked back in concern. 

The boy looked up at him, and his hands twisted the corner of his shirt nervously. Arthur was a bit confused at first, but then he realized it was only that Merlin had never left Ealdor before. This was a big step for him. 

“Hey, Merlin, it’s okay, I’ll be here.” 

Arthur offered his hand. Merlin took a deep breath and took his outstretched hand. They decided to hitchhike their way. Arthur’s plan was to go back to The Pendragon Mansion, a place he had sworn to never go back again because of the old wound, but he knew that was the only place they would be safe, at least for a short amount of time. But from Ealdor to Camelot, that was at least three days of non-stop drive. It was already midnight when the two arrived at the next town. It was another small town that was even more unpopulated. An old, small motel beside the highway seemed to be their only option for the night. They walked towards the small reception desk, and a girl, looking rather reluctantly, stood up. 

“Yes?” She said, popping her gum. 

“A room, please.” 

Arthur paid and the girl tossed him an old key with their room number on. The room smelled of old and rotten food. The mattress was yellow and dirty. Merlin put his stuff down, looking uncomfortable. Arthur went to the bathroom and opened the tab. The water was yellow at first, but after a while, it became acceptable. 

“At least the water looks alright!” Arthur said. 

Merlin gave him a forced smile, and opened his bag. They ate their snack and took a quick shower. Then they lied on the bed with Arthur’s arm around Merlin. 

“Get some sleep, Merlin.” 

 

_The little boy felt so cold. He tried to stand up from the ground and wiped the tears away from his face. He unconsciously looked down at his sleeves, instead of water-stain, he saw blood, so much blood. He wiped his face again, and there was more blood on him. He screamed, but only a cold voice answered him._

_“We should go home, Arthur, you did a good job today.” A hand grabbed his arm and hauled him away._

_“But, father…”_

_The boy looked back and saw the dead man’s eyes suddenly snapped opened._

_‘Murderer, Murderer, Mur…’_

 

Someone shook him and Arthur woke up with a gasp and looked around. He was still in the seedy motel, and Merlin was holding him and looking at him with a deep frown on his face. 

“I’m okay, Merlin, I swear.” Arthur wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeves. “Just a nightmare. Sorry to wake you up. Go back to sleep.” 

But Merlin didn’t get back to sleep, instead, he kept running soothing circles on Arthur’s body, and when his loving eyes met Arthur’s again, he broke down. 

Arthur had never broken down before. 

But somehow, he felt so safe, and so opened when he was with Merlin, so he shared his deepest sadness with him while Merlin held him tightly. 

“I was nine when I started to kill people,” He inhaled deeply. “I’ll never forget his face.” 

The next few minutes passed with Arthur telling Merlin all about this horrible experience and the immense guilt he had hidden deep inside him. He talked about his father, and how he desperately wanted to escape from his shadow. Merlin listened and his eyes never left Arthur’s face. 

“I’m not a monster, am I?” 

Merlin shook his head and hugged him tightly. Arthur sniffled and took a deep breath. There was suddenly a weird sensation within him. He felt free and with Merlin by his side, everything, he suddenly realized, would be alright. 

 

They had fallen asleep in each other’s arms, when Arthur heard a loud shattering noise and he immediately covered Merlin’s body with his own. Then it had become very quiet. Arthur looked up carefully, there was no sign of anyone. 

“You alright?” He looked at Merlin up and down, making sure he was not hurt. “Stay here.” 

He said to him, as he walked closer to the door. The window was shattered, and Arthur saw a rock on the floor. He picked it up and saw the words on it. 

_‘You’re dead, Pendragon’_

Arthur turned to the back of the stone, and there was a familiar symbol on it. He remembered he had seen it somewhere else. Then he remembered the man that had come after him got the same symbol tattooed on the side of his neck. Those people must have belonged to the same gang, but Arthur couldn’t recognize which one it was. He drew the symbol on one empty page of his books. Neither of them slept the rest of the night. Arthur had a feeling that who ever was after him had no intention to kill him right away; they seemed to be waiting for something, something bigger and scarier, but he had no time to think about that now.


	9. The Pendragon Palace

The following few days, Arthur and Merlin either spent their time on the road or stayed at a series of unknown motels, some of them dirtier than the first one. He knew Merlin didn’t sleep well; it was evident with the dark circles under his eyes. 

“We’re almost there, Merlin.” He said, squeezing the boy’s shoulder. 

Merlin would always give him a tired smile and put his head on Arthur’s shoulder. 

They finally arrived at the Pendragon Mansion one early afternoon. Four years after Arthur had left, he didn’t know that the new owner of the mansion had converted it into a five-star hotel, with a fitting name, _‘The Pendragon Palace’_. 

It sent a weird sensation through Arthur’s spine. 

He couldn’t believe this is the place where he grew up in. It should be familiar to him, instead… he felt like a stranger intruding. 

They followed a few excited tourists into the grand lobby. When they were checking in, Arthur heard the chatters from behind. 

“This place is absolutely magnificent.” One of the women said. 

“So the rumor is true? I heard the only heir of the family vanished after his father died.” Her friend said. “Didn’t his father train him into an assassin?” 

“I heard he had killed more than twenty people.” The two talked excitedly. 

The precise number was twenty-two. Arthur thought grimly. He was not proud of it at all. 

The receptionist smiled at Arthur and Merlin mechanically. 

“How may I help you?” He asked. 

“I would like a room. Umm… is Gaius’ room available?” 

Arthur wasn’t sure whether the hotel categorized the rooms in the old time or simply referred them by room numbers. 

“Gaius…?” The receptionist frowned, and bent to check the list in his hand. “Oh, you mean the old servant room at the first floor?” 

He showed Arthur the layout, and he nodded approvingly. After all, Pendragon Mansion had over thirty rooms ranging from servants’ quators to the master bedrooms. The man was pretty professional since he could point out the precise room Arthur wanted. 

“Sir, may I recommend another room that was larger and more luxurious?” 

“No, that will do. It’s cozier there.” 

The receptionist nodded. “You must know a lot about the legendary Pendragon family.” 

Arthur shrugged. “Well, I read a book or two about it.” 

He felt weird using the third person to talk about his own family, but he really wished it would be like this, that everyone thought he had just gone, but apparently, his enemies would not let him go that easily. 

“Please sign here.” 

Arthur used another fake name he had on his list. 

“Thank you,” He narrowed his eyes. “Mr. James. Do you have any luggage?” 

“No.” 

Arthur replied simply and led the awestruck Merlin to Gaius’ old quarter which he could probably roll there with a blindfold on. The reason for Arthur to choose Gaius’ quarter was because of the secret chamber. The entrance of it was at the fireplace. All of the books collected by Gaius inside it, Uther would deem as inappropriate for Arthur because he thought they would ‘influenced his ability’. As a matter of fact, Uther just thought it would be easier to control Arthur if he wasn’t exposing under so much knowledge and questioning. 

Arthur immediately showed Merlin the secret passage and he made the most adorable surprised face Arthur had ever seen. 

“Feel free to look around, you know how to get back to the main room, right?” 

Merlin nodded and couldn’t wait to explore the room. When Arthur got back, he was already asleep on the sofa, the only furniture in the room. Arthur smiled and draped a blanket gently over him. He thought of ordering room service, but maybe he should do that after Merlin woke up.

 

“Are you hungry?” 

It was way past midnight when Merlin woke up, stretching his arms lazily. He nodded and Arthur went to the phone to order some food. For safety reason, Arthur told Merlin to stay in the secret room when the servant brought up their food. Merlin had the same awestruck expression on his face as he first entered the hotel when he saw the food laid out beautifully on the white sheet, and there was a single red rose in the vase as the decoration. Arthur watched Merlin fondly as the boy picked up the silverware and wondered which plate he should dig in first. 

 

They were resting on the sofa in the secret chamber after they finished their big meal. Arthur burped loudly and Merlin giggled. 

“Did you think that’s funny, huh, Merlin?” 

He teased and pinned him down on the sofa. He wiggled and giggled some more underneath him when Arthur tickled him. Their faces became very close to each other. Arthur closed the gap and kissed him. Merlin responded with passion and soon they were tearing off each other’s clothes. 

“God, I love you so much, my sweetheart.” 

The pet name came out so naturally that even Arthur himself was surprised. But he didn’t feel awkward or disgusting, it was natural as it was. Merlin whimpered when Arthur continued to explore his body. This felt so different and so true for Arthur. He had plenty of sexual experiences, but none of them had felt like this. It was not only about physical pleasure, but the devotion and love he had for Merlin. He could see it in his lover’s eyes too. 

No matter what came ahead of them, he knew with Merlin, everything would be alright.


	10. Gwaine

Merlin curled up fast asleep on the sofa after they finished making love. Arthur smiled fondly at the peaceful sleeping form as he carried him back onto the bed, and covered him up with a thick sheet and kissed his forehead. 

“Goodnight, Merlin.” 

He dimmed the light, and went to contact Gaius. There was a secret communicator hidden inside a book. Arthur wasn’t sure whether it still worked or not, or maybe he should call Gaius on a public phone to avoid anyone who might be tracing the call. The communicator’s red light flashed when he entered the code, and he heard a scruffy voice. 

“Master Arthur?” 

_It worked!_ Arthur thought excitedly. 

“Gaius!” 

He exclaimed, but quickly lowered his voice since he didn’t want to disturb Merlin. 

“Master, I’ve been so worried, are you alright? I have heard the rumors, did you need a place to stay?” 

“I’m alright, at least for now, but Gaius, do you have any ideas who is after me?” 

Gaius paused for a long time. 

“Perhaps you’ll recognize this symbol?” 

Arthur described the symbol he found on the rock, but the old man didn’t seem to recognize it. “Maybe Gwaine will be able to help?” 

“Gwaine?” He hadn’t heard the name for quite a while. 

“Do you remember Gwaine, Master Arthur?” Arthur cocked his head to the side. 

Of course he remembered Gwaine.

 

Gwaine became one of Uther’s men when he saved the then inexperienced young Arthur’s life in a raging gunfight. Before that, he was just a tough-talking homeless teen. After the incident, due to his ability to find out almost all kinds of information, he stayed and helped the Pendragon family a great deal. 

Only a few years older than Arthur, he soon became someone closest as a friend to him besides Gaius. He was different than all the other people working under his father. He was funny, carefree, and once he committed to someone, he would never betray them. Just like he did for Arthur. He was always like a big brother to him. Arthur had cried his eyes out when Gwaine got shot. His father had forbidden him to visit, even asked about the condition of Gwaine was out of question, saying he needed to focus on something more important, and putting his personal emotions aside, or else, how could he become a successful assassin? 

After that, he could only cry secretly when he was in bed, so his father wouldn’t notice. He had not seen Gwaine ever since. He thought he had died.

“Gwaine is alive?” Arthur asked, sounding surprised. 

“Of course. He might have the information you need.” 

“Where’s he now?” 

“From what I’ve known, he retired, and opened a pub nearby.” Gaius gave him the address. 

“Thank you, Gaius, you’ve been a good help.” 

Arthur smiled at the idea that he could finally see his old friend again. 

“It has always been my pleasure, master. Good luck.”

 

Arthur decided to go alone at first and let Merlin stayed at the place where he thought was relatively safe and let him sleep for a little longer. But when he arrived at the lobby, he sensed a few suspicious people lurking there. He thought he was being paranoid again, could they be so fast as to find them? Then he saw the tattoo on one of the men’s neck and he knew they were here. He immediately went back to wake Merlin up. 

“We need to go, Merlin.” 

Merlin rubbed his eyes sleepily, and packed his bag. They slipped out of the lobby and Arthur was sure that none of them had noticed him, yet. He followed the address and arrived in front of a store with a huge neon sign _‘Gwaine’s Tavern’_. It was not yet opened, but he saw activities inside, so he pushed opened the door with Merlin trailing behind. A man was standing behind the counter cleaning the glasses, his back facing them. 

“We’re closed now. Will be open at 10 tonight.” 

“I’m looking for Gwaine.” Arthur asked straight forward. 

The man turned around. He was extremely tell and muscular, and his arms were probably one and a half of Arthur’s and two and a half of Merlin’s. 

“What do you want him for?” 

The man eyed him up and down carefully and did the same to Merlin. Merlin automatically shifted closer to Arthur. 

“Tell him it’s an old friend.” 

The big man narrowed his eyes, but did what Arthur asked. He got inside a door marking ‘Staff Only’ and Arthur could hear some noises coming from inside. Then a man with stubble and shoulder-length brown hair came out, looking rather impatient. 

“What the… We’re not open until…” Hearing Arthur’s chuckles, the man looked up. “Oh my, what do you know, Arthur fucking Pendragon!” 

Gwaine came closer and the two had a passionate yet perhaps slightly awkward hug. 

“Come on in, both of you!” Then he turned back to the big man. “Percy, we'll be closed today, going to catch up with my old mate here.” 

The big man, Percy, nodded, and locked the front door. Gwaine led them into the staff room. 

“What, Arthur, like ten years?” 

“Was it that long?” Arthur laughed. 

Then Gwaine turned to Merlin, who looked between Arthur and Gwaine in interest. 

“Who’s your little friend here?” 

Arthur put his arm around Merlin’s shoulder. “He’s Merlin.” 

Merlin looked up at Gwaine, shy yet curious. 

“Well, I’m Gwaine.” He regarded Merlin for a while then ruffled his hair fondly. “Hello, Merlin.” 

They caught up on what had happened. Then Gwaine leaned forward. 

“The rumor is true, right? Someone is after you?” 

Arthur nodded. 

“How may I help you, old friend?” 

“I thought you retired.” He teased. 

“Giving a hand to an old friend is my pleasure.” 

Then Arthur told him about the mysterious sign and Gwaine regarded it carefully. 

“Give me some time to look up.” He tapped the table lightly. “Need a place to stay?” 

Before Arthur could answer, Gwaine led them further down the hallway, in the end, there was a small room. 

“Stay as long as you wish, I’ll get Percy to give you some food if you need.” 

“That would be nice, thank you.” 

Arthur hadn’t had a good night sleep for days, and he knew Merlin was still tired. So they took off their clothes and snuggled on the small single bed. He really hoped this would be over soon, he just wanted to give his baby boy a nice and steady life. And now, they got some friends, and Arthur didn’t feel completely helpless anymore.


	11. The Place that Ended All

Arthur woke up a few hours later feeling refreshed as he wandered into another room where Gwaine was looking at the file on his hand. He glanced up at Arthur briefly. 

“Hey, you’re just in time. Look what I found.” Gwaine tossed the file to him. “The symbol belongs to one of our old friends, Agravaine.” 

“Agravaine? My uncle?” Arthur widened his eyes in disbelief. “I thought he was dead!” 

Agravaine was Arthur’s mother’s younger brother. He used to work for the family, although he didn’t have much ability. Uther didn’t like him, but for his wife’s sake, he gave him an unimportant position. But the man had his eyes on something bigger, and when he saw the opportunity, he betrayed the Pendragon family. Uther forgave him because of Ygraine’s pleading, but when she was killed shortly after, Uther immediately sent out men to hunt Agravaine down believing him to be one of the conspirators. That was over eight years ago. 

“Clearly he has raised up from the dead.” Gwaine tried to make a joke, but Arthur didn’t laugh. “According to my reliable sources, he seemed to gather more than a few Pendragon’s old enemies and tried to get you to fulfill their thirst for revenge.” 

Their conversation was cut short by the laughter beside coming from Merlin and Percy. Arthur jerked his thumb towards the big man. 

“Where did you find him?” 

Gwaine smiled. “Save him from a bad deal, and offered him a job.” 

“You’re a good man, Gwaine.” 

He patted Arthur’s shoulder. 

“You’ll do the same if it’s you.” Then he looked back at them. “Too much blood had already been spilled, and the man proved himself as a hard working and upright fellow.” 

Arthur nodded seeing how the big man could make Merlin laugh. 

“He certainly is a nice man.” 

“How about you?” Gwaine indicated Merlin. “How did you meet the little one?” 

“Oh.” Arthur smiled. 

He briefly explained how he met Merlin and how they got here. 

“You really love him, don't you? ” Arthur felt himself reddened when Gwaine said that. “It's all in your eyes.” 

Not trying to make him feel more embarrassed, Gwaine changed a subject. 

“So what are you going to do? I’ll help you as much as I can, you know.” 

“Thanks, Gwaine. Actually, I’m thinking of letting them get me.” 

“What?” 

“As your information shows, I believe Agravaine’s place isn’t that far away, and his men had plenty of chances to kill me before, but they didn’t. So I guess he probably has some interesting things planned for me.” 

“Well, alright…” Gwaine stretched his head. 

“I know it sounds crazy, but I want to end this once and for all, there might be a chance where Merlin and I can find a steady life.” 

Gwaine nodded. 

“I understand. Then I guess I need to call some of my mates to help out.” He looked up at Arthur. “You remember Leon, Lance, and Elyan?” 

The three of them were Gwaine’s good friends. Arthur had seen them once and knew that he could trust them. 

“I’m thinking of giving you a tracker, so we’ll be able to track and break in to save you.” 

If there was another thing Gwaine was good at besides gathering information, that was inventing little gadgets. 

“Don’t you remember that we don’t know how many men he got, and the tracker would probably be discovered by them once they got me?” Arthur mocked. 

“True, true, but don’t forget that we’re all professional, and Agravaine is never that smart.” He stood up and opened the top drawer. “As for the second problem….” He held up something that looked like a pill. “This is a tiny tracker I’ve invented. Swallowed it and we can keep track of you up to forty eight hours.” Arthur seemed hesitated. “Don’t worry, it might just give you a terrible stomach ache.” Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Just kidding.” Gwaine laughed as he tossed the pill to him.

 

Arthur went back to the Pendragon Palace, and was fully prepared to lure his enemies out. As he had predicted, the few men in question were still lurking in the lobby, and he pretended to slowly walk back to his room, then got back down from the elevator several minutes later. He saw one of the tattooed men eyed him suspiciously, and he knew the man had taken the bait. Not long after that, a few people came up and surrounded him, one covered his mouth with a cloth, the other two manhandled him out of the hotel’s back door. Before he was being ushered into a black car, his was blindfolded. Arthur bit down the tracker he had hidden in his mouth and swallowed it down. He felt himself being squeezed between two large men, and he could hear the cars honking and the bustling of the streets as the car drove through. Just a few minutes later, Arthur found himself being pushed out of the door, and he almost lost his footing. They dragged him down a long staircase, and finally pushed him down roughly on a cold metal chair. They bonded his hands and legs securely before taking off his blindfold. 

It was some kind of a warehouse located in the basement, with no windows. The place was dusty and smelled like petroleum. He tried to move the chair, but it seemed to stick tightly on the ground. After a while, he heard the old iron door crack opened, and two, no, three men entered. It was too dark for him to make out their faces, but he was pretty sure that the middle of the three belonged to Agravaine. 

“Pendragon.” He said in despised and spat. 

Then a searchlight focused on him and Arthur was temporarily blinded by the harsh light. When he could see again, he saw Agravaine bent down to look at him, his face just a few inches away. He didn’t change much, just older and fatter. Arthur looked up at him, he wouldn’t exactly say he hated the man, he just despised him, and he knew the feeling was mutual. 

Agravaine smirked. “So Pendragon is not as smart as we think, huh?” 

“What do you want?” Arthur said boringly. 

His eyes didn’t show a tiny bit of fear, which made his uncle angrier. 

“What did I want? I thought it was obvious! Are you an idiot?” His nostrils flared with anger. Arthur just shrugged. 

“You’re making a terrible mistake.” 

“Oh, am I?” Agravaine said menacingly. “Perhaps some good flogging will make you change your stubborn mind?” 

A whip was produced and he took it over from one of his men’s hand. Arthur wasn’t scared of pain, it was just something physical, something he could be able to block out with his mind. He had been trained when confronting torture since he was little. What he afraid of was psychological, that was the hardest part of it all. There were no wounds to heal, sometimes, you couldn’t even find the wound. It just left a big hole on you. So if physical pain was the only thing Agraviane wanted to inflict on him, there really wasn't a lot to afraid of. 

Arthur bit down his lips when the wipe came down. He tasted blood in his mouth as he tried to bite down a whimper. It went on forever for what Arthur had known. Was that all Agravaine wanted? Beat him half dead and threw his abused body in the river? He slowly lost consciousness, only the sounds of Agravaine’s cursing and the wipe coming down on him like rain were still audible. His last thought was to wonder whether Gwaine’s tracker really worked, but most importantly, how Merlin would react when he heard that Arthur had died. He didn’t want Merlin to be sad. He needed to be alive, for Merlin’s sake. 

He was just a second close before he drifted into darkness when he heard some shouts coming from the outside. Agravaine stopped his action and indicated one of his men to take a look outside. Before he could turn back to Arthur, another man came in. 

“Sir, we’re under attack!” 

“What? You imbecile, get out there and kill them!” 

Arthur wanted to smirk, but the corner of his mouth hurt. 

So Gwaine and his men had finally arrived. 

While Agravaine was beating him, he was actually secretly working on the bonds when he was still able, and he could feel it loosened further now. The man beside Agravaine had suddenly fallen to the ground, and Arthur could see that the man had a bullet in his head. 

“What?” 

Before his uncle could react, the door was kicked open, and someone had jumped onto Agravaine. Then he heard Gwaine shouted loudly. 

“Merlin, no!” 

Then it was Agravaine who was screaming and trying to shake Merlin down from him. 

“Get this fucking shit down!” He bellowed. 

Arthur could see now, Merlin was the one jumping on to Agravaine! He bit Agravaine’s neck and didn’t let go. Arthur was working on his bond feverishly, and he saw Merlin fell off of the ground. 

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted. 

Agravaine had his gun pointed at the boy, and his finger was on the trigger. Arthur’s bond was now loose and he reached for the gun on the ground and emptied the bullets into his uncle. Then it was Gwaine and Lance who ran in. Gwaine took a look at Merlin, and saw that he was alright. Merlin scrambled up to his feet and cried out when he saw Arthur’s shirt was ripped and there was blood all over him. He ran to him and held on to him tightly. 

“Arthur is alright, Merlin.” Lance said, trying to comfort him and loosened his tight grips. 

But Merlin didn’t let go and was still crying until Arthur cupped his face with his slightly bloody hands. 

“I’m okay, Merlin, just a few scratches.” 

Merlin stopped crying when he heard Arthur’s voice and finally smiled through his tears. 

Gwaine looked at Merlin and then back to Arthur. “Where did you get such a devoted little one?” 

Arthur smiled, despite his mouth hurt like hell. 

“I’m lucky.” 

Merlin helped him up. Then they heard the siren coming closer. 

“Get going, you two, we can handle this.” Gwaine said and Arthur gave them an appreciative look before leading Merlin out. 

It was finally over, Arthur thought, as he pulled his lover closer to him.


	12. Back to Ealdor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoy the story :) Thanks for reading!

_The little boy’s hands trembled. He looked at the man on the ground, his hands bonded behind him. Then the boy looked back at his father._

_“Pull the trigger, son.” The voice commanded._

_His finger inched closer to the trigger, but then he just let the gun dropped down to the ground._

_“What on earth are you doing?”_

_The boy slowly raised his head and looked into his father’s eyes in defiance._

_“I’m sorry, father, I can’t do it.” He started to walk away._

_“Where the hell do you think you’re going? Get back here! I’m your father, do what I told you!”_

_He halted and turned back._

_“This is my life, father. I can decide what I choose to do.”_

_With that, he walked away without turning back again._

 

Arthur opened his eyes, feeling weirdly relieved and free. He looked around. He was on the train bound to Ealdor, and Merlin was napping beside him with his head on his shoulder. He kissed his forehead, and slowly closed his eyes again.

When he arrived at Ealdor again, it was a whole new feeling. Just a few months ago, he had come here, badly wounded, hopeless, and desperate, but now, he looked at Merlin lovingly. He had everything he had ever dreamed of in his life. A cozy home, a simple life, and a person he loved deeply. It couldn't get better. He often wondered how he could be so lucky, and he swore to himself that he would cherish every moment of his life and made Merlin as happy as he could. 

 

They went back to Merlin’s old house and redecorated it. They cleaned up the place, replaced the broken furniture, and repainted the walls. The house seemed to immediately gain a second life. Arthur was hesitated at first when approaching Hunith’s old room, but Merlin gave him a firm nod indicating that he was ready to move on. Not that they needed two rooms, Arthur and Merlin loved to snuggle close together on their small bed. 

When Arthur heard Mrs. Alice was going to sell her grocery store, and traveled around the world, Arthur bought it and became the new owner. Merlin still worked as the store’s clerk, but now, instead of one, Will had became the other one. He grumped that he couldn’t believe Arthur had become his new boss, but truth to be told, their relationship had turned into something like friends, rather than mutual hatred in the beginning. Arthur also hired a new delivery boy, Daegel. With one extra employee working, Arthur and Merlin could take more time off. They spent a lot of their free time beside the lake, just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Arthur couldn’t remember how many times he had wakened up lying on the grass with Merlin in his arm, surrounded by the boy’s body heat and scent. His nightmares were getting fewer and fewer, and he hadn’t wake up in sweat for a few weeks straight. Everything had worked well and Arthur was so happy that these kinds of days would continue on. 

One and a half month after they had arrived at Ealdor, Arthur found a postcard in their mailbox. The picture on the back was an ancient looking tavern. 

 

_‘Old friend,_

_Hope things had been going well for you. I actually had no doubt about that. No need to worry about Agravaine, his men, and the police, they had all been taken care of. Lance, Leon, and Elyan had decided to join our bar business, and Percy and I were very happy about that, seems like our bar will be expanding soon! I would like to visit you soon, no need to tell me your address!_

_P.S. Take good care and be good to the little one, I can see that he is very special to you._

_Gwaine.’_

 

Arthur chuckled and went in the house and put his arm around Merlin and gave him a kiss. He placed the postcard on the counter and Merlin also chuckled when he read it. 

They had dinner with Will. He still told Arthur that if he didn’t treat Merlin well, he would feed him to the dogs, but Arthur could sense that he said that more as a joke than a threat now. They cleaned up and got into bed after Will left. Arthur was nuzzling Merlin’s neck when he heard a very low voice, almost like a whisper. 

“Arthur.” 

Arthur thought he had heard it wrong, so he continued to do what he was doing without looking up. 

“Arthur.” The voice sounded again. He looked up in surprise this time. 

Merlin was looking at him with a smile. 

“Was that you, Merlin?” He said, feeling incredulous. 

Merlin nodded. He settled back in Arthur’s arms and buried his face into his shoulder. 

“I love you, Arthur.” 

Arthur couldn’t believe what he had heard. Merlin had finally talked! And his voice was like music to him. 

“Oh my god, Merlin…” He felt his eyes tear up with pride and fulfillment. “I love you too, Merlin, so much.” He placed a light kiss on his forehead. “Thank you for changing my life.” 

Arthur wanted to hear more of Merlin’s voice, but now, they were going to sleep. He knew they would have their entire lives to look forward to. There was once, when Arthur had lost his belief in fiery tales; in stories where the prince and the princess lived happily ever after, but now, he had found his true love and his own happy ending.

 

\- The End -


End file.
